Portfolio Review Dos and Don’ts

Posted: December 8, 2013

(Updated 8/17/13)

I just returned from 4 days of photo-related festivities in NYC. The mothership of the week is the PhotoPlus Expo at the Javits convention center, with other events happening around the same time to capitalize on having so many photographers in town at once. Every night there are parties and book signing and openings.

Aside from all seeing old friends and meeting new creatives and photographers, I spent most of my time during the day doing portfolio reviews at the PDN/Palm Springs Portfolio Review. This was probably my 15th organized review event and I thought it'd be helpful to give some guidance on how to get the most out of one.

I also reached out on twitter and facebook for creatives' pet peeves. Below are some of the most popular answers.

Be honest with yourself about if you are really ready to show the work. Maybe you need another year of shooting before you start showing your book to art buyers, art directors and photo editors. You only get one chance at a first impression, don't rush it if it's not the right time. Ask people who you trust for their honest opinion.

Research your reviewers and make sure that your work is relevant to what they do. You have 15-20 minutes, often with some pretty influential and powerful creatives in the industry, don't waste it. Would you roll up to a job interview without knowing anything about the company?

Have a purpose for each review and communicate that purpose to the reviewer when you sit down. Example: "I've been following your magazine for years and feel my work would fit in. Do you think I'm ready to shoot for you, and if not, what needs improvement?" Or, "I would love get feedback on the book and recommendations for colleagues in the industry who may respond to my style of work." Or, "This is a new personal project that I'm working on, would love to know if you think it's ready to show to galleries."

Come armed with 1 or 2 specific questions that are pertinent to your reviewer's area of expertise.

Do bring the actual portfolio that you intend to show to clients. Some of the reviewers are potential clients (duh!), and they're not going to give you a pass because you intend, later on, to make a better book. So don't bring a crappy book that you bought at Staples and then say that you are going to change it later. The whole point of the portfolio review is to get feedback and how can someone give you good feedback if what they are looking at isn't what you actually intend to show?

Make sure your prints look great. This is especially important when seeing galleries.

Leave behind a well-printed leave behind. Invest in a graphic designer to help you create something that looks professional. Just because you know Photoshop doesn't mean you are a designer. If you are seeing a dream client, kick it up a notch and leave something more unique than a postcard. However, don't go overboard. See below.

Keep notes. By the end of a long day, all the reviews can start to blend together. Make a separate page for each reviewer and mark down which images they pointed out liking, where they paused a bit longer, what questions they had about your work and specific feedback they gave you. You may also want to record audio of each meeting, if the reviewer is cool with that.

Don't assume conditions will be perfect for showing an iPad. After having looked at about 20 people's work this weekend, I am now convinced that the iPad is not necessarily the best way to show still photography. The glare in some rooms makes it very hard to see the photos, especially if your images tend to be dark or with black borders. I often found myself looking at my own reflection instead of the photos. Also, unless the iPad presentation is really slick, it feels like not enough care was put into the portfolio. I mean, let's admit it, how hard is it to create a folder of images for someone to flip through? When I see a beautifully printed portfolio, it lends the photographer some legitimacy, makes them at least appear to have invested a lot of time and effort into their work, all which helps me take them more seriously.

Don't force your leave behind on the reviewer. Some people flew in for the event and may not want to tote a bunch of promos and books back. Or they may feel it's wasteful and rather not have the extra 'stuff' in their lives. Or they just may not have liked your work enough to want to take a promo. Ask if they'd like a card, but don't push it. Also don't just offer a huge and bulky leave behind. If you want to make something big, it's also nice to offer something small like a postcard.

Don't make excuses. Popular examples include: "I didn't bring my strongest work." "I didn't have time to put together much, but this should give you an idea." or "I just found out about this event."

Don't argue with constructive criticism The people looking at your work know what they are talking about. They may all have different opinions, but that is valid considering that people come from different backgrounds and that visual art is very subjective. You may not agree with someone, and that is ok, but don't tell them that they are wrong.

Photographers, what about the typical speed-dating format would you change? Do you get enough out of the reviews to justify the expense (if it was a paid review?)

Reviewers, what are your pet peeves? Can you share any review success stories where you ended up working with someone after a review?

Discussion

i love the fact that one of our reviewers just said if you don’t have your portfolio on an ipad, don’t even bother showing it to me. LOL

next folios will hopefully have a 4 hole punch LED screeen the same size as my book so we can flip from print to video physically!

02. Jasmine

November 1, 2010

@stephen, that is funny! I know, you ask 5 people, you get 5 answers. But seriously, I couldn’t see a thing because the glare was so harsh. Especially noticeable when people have lots of dark areas in their photos.

Hi Jasmine, I did the set of reviews last week (Rob Haggart has my summary on APE) and found that keeping my iPad in my lap with supplemental work and outtakes worked well. The print book is first and foremost on the table while the iPad can be pulled up if needed to either show the set of shots to support an editorial feature or behind the scenes of a commercial set. As well there are projects that just do not fit the visual theme of the print book that can be shown. Thanks for the tips.

Thanks, Jasmine, for this post. A copy should be given in advance to anyone preparing for a portfolio review at any venue. I’d like to emphasize your last piece of advice-’Don’t argue with constructive criticism’.I didn’t have that frustrating experience in the NY reviews last week but recall an extreme example at PhotoLucida. Defensive photographers are losing an opportunity to learn when they prefer to argue with the reviewer than to listen…whether they agree or not.

All of your suggestions are excellent and are right on target with my own experience last week at the NYCFotoWorks Reviews (I wanted to make it over to the Palm Springs Event at Jacob Javits too but thought I was going to be shooting a job early this week when I bought my ticket and didn’t think I’d have time for the extra day).

Like Kevin, I had an iPad as a backup to my print portfolio. The iPad had a completely different body of work that I didn’t think fit with my print portfolio but which I wanted to get some feedback on. I pulled it out after I showed my print portfolio and I think it worked well. The response to the work I had on the iPad was very well received and I didn’t get the sense that art buyers or editors were put off by the way it was presented.

Additionally, I met an established agent who said she bought iPads for all her photographers and those are what she now often takes with her to client meetings. She said it’s much easier to take an armful of iPads for several photographers than it is to take a pile of their books. I don’t know if that’s something other agents are doing or if that particular agent’s clients are as enthusiastic about the idea as she is or not but it may be an interesting trend to be aware of.

Cheers,

Brian

07. Jasmine

November 2, 2010

@brian, I know other agencies aren’t using print books anymore either, mostly because of the expense of messengering them all over town. I think this is ok for editorial but not commercial clients.

I like how you and Kevin are using the iPad, as a supplement to a main portfolio. I think it’s great for that.

At this point in time, I’ve been a reviewer at PhotoNOLA, Review LA, Review Santa Fe, Fotofest and ACP. I love doing reviews and meeting photographers in person.

With that being said, please keep in mind the following:

1. You chose to sit with me and to get my opinion and advice.
2. Ask me the questions you are having a hard time answering yourself
3. Remember that I have to carry home your “leave behind” (as well as everyone else that I sit with). Give me the option of a card or a disc.
4. Know very well what it is I do and why you wanted to sit with me.
5. We only have twenty minutes together. Let’s make the best of it.

Also, this is a important to me, if you ever get a rude/mean/inconsiderate review, please tell the organizers. You, the photographer, have paid to be at the event and you are supposed to be treated with respect and kindness. I might not like your work or be able to use it, but I still have to talk to you like an adult, in a respectful way. If a reviewer is over the top harsh, you have to tell the people in charge.

I could add a few more things but I’ll stop here.

09. Jasmine

November 3, 2010

@david bram, all good points, thanks for sharing.

You reminded me of another tip I forgot: If the reviewer says they don’t want the leave behind, don’t try and force them to take it.

The last time I showed my portfolio at a review it was on my iPhone, granted I was showing a collaborative multimedia piece that I got some amazing feedback on which got me working on the next upgraded piece.

That said, if you intend to show anything with audio make sure you bring something to disinfect the headphones between viewers.

Jasmine: This is a great post. I’ve done several of the professional Portfolio Reviews for NANPA (as a reviewer) and the points you make are spot on. When I would start my reviews, I generally ask two questions. What do you most want to get out of this review, and what’s your Mission Statement? Then I see how well their portfolio communicates their mission statement.

Actually sat in with you for twenty minutes in NY.
IT was Robert Bacall that asked me what I was doing for promotion, blogs, social networking etc. Up ’til now I hadn’t ventured into it.
Since back I’ve put up a blog, and actually my first post was a recap of the reviews!
All of what you say is so true.
The only exception ( still true) is the see only the reviewers you want to see.

The way it works with Palm Springs reviews is you get 3 of 5 with your choices , the others are alloted. You were one of my choices of course.

Look on my blog if you like. I’d love to have the styling of this blog, well done>

This is really just what I needed to read. I’ve been preparing for the reviews since last month and I can honestly say that all the information I’ve been gathering has been really helpful. I some steps to actually have a brand and a concise bodies of work. After reading this, I think I’ll invest in a tablet as a supplement to my physical prints as well. I do have a question, however. How do you feel about follow-ups? Is it ok to ask a reviewer if they’d like a follow-up, or should it be assumed that if the reviewer doesn’t request a follow-up, that they don’t want one?

15. Jasmine

August 20, 2013

I think that asking about follow ups is a good idea if you got a good vibe from the review. But if you’re unsure, it can be sort of awkward. Following up with a postcard or other printed promo and a handwritten note is a nice touch though.

Thank you for some great tips. I could not help noticing your thoughs about iPad, I completly agree and is which I have always done prints, but one of my big problems with that is my plastic sleeves, don’t you feel they can have the same problem? – and if so is the option to do a bit with no plastic sleevs?

17. Jasmine

April 9, 2014

Hi Jonas, you can make a book with double sided pages that doesn’t require sleeves. Check out the portfolio I just posted that I did for Katrina d’Autremont for an example. A custom bookmaker can create a hinged book with posts for you that will accommodate this.

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